Anne of Austria

Anne of Austria (22 September 1601-20 January 1666) was the Queen consort of France from 24 November 1615 to 14 May 1643 with King Louis XIII of France. She also served as regent for her son King Louis XIV of France from 1643 to 1651.

Biography
Anne of Austria was born in Valladolid, Spain on 22 September 1601, the daughter of Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. She was betrothed at the age of eleven to King Louis XIII of France, and the two did not have a good relationship. Cardinal Richelieu's anti-Habsburg foreign policy created tension between Lois and Anne, and it was not until 1638 that a son, the future Louis XIV of France, was born. She served as regent from 1643 to 1651, having the Parlement de Paris revoke the past king's orders to limit her powers. She may have had an affair with Cardinal Mazarin, who lived near her, and who also served as a regent. With Mazarin's support, she overcame the aristocratic Fronde revolt, and her regency ended in 1651 when her son came of age. In 1660, Anne's niece Maria Theresa of Spain was married to Louis to cement the peace treaty that followed the Franco-Spanish War of 1635-1659. She died in 1666 at the age of 64.